Last day of School 2025!

School is finally over!  Snow storms and a bomb cyclone meant lots of canceled days of school so the last day of school was June 24th and it feels like it was just yesterday.  Henry is done with 1st grade, Parker finished 6th grade and was thrilled I let him miss the last day, and I didn't get a picture of Landon because he was taking a final.  Yes, a final on the very last day of his freshman year.  Our school district has got some nerve.  

We've been playing hard ever since and this is the first summer in the history of our family that I didn't create any sort of summer job chart system.  I have no regrets.  The boys aren't even doing piano lessons.  We are making the most of our 8 weeks of summer with big hopes that when it's time to go back to school (in exactly one month from today) we will actually want to be there.  It will take a miracle!

And this is Marcus who was sweating to death in the humidity of Florida as he crushed it doing summer sales.  The tan line from his hat is still strong.  Poor guy.  Ethan has been playing hard and working in Logan all summer as a dental assistant.

School Ended

We barely noticed school ended, so that was weird.  The official last day of school was June 23rd but we finished remote learning a few days before that.  The day after we got back from Utah was the day we were scheduled to drop off text books at the high school, clean out Ethan's locker at the middle school, and pick up all the stuff left in the boys' desks at the elementary school.

We drove up to the elementary school with a sign in our window that had our last name, the boys' first names, and the names of their teachers.  Then a PTSA volunteer found the garbage bags filled with my boys' things and passed it through the window.  There weren't any teachers there to wave and say goodbye, no balloons, and no fanfare.  I started to cry as they passed us our stuff as the reality of our abrupt halt to everything normal sank in even deeper.  What has COVID done to us that we can't even walk into the school to say goodbye to the teachers?  Thankfully my boys were underwhelmed by the whole thing so I quickly wiped my eyes and drove away.

Ethan was thrilled to skip the whole 8th grade promotion ceremony.  I forced him to take a few pictures of his last time in middle school and then it was over.  Another abrupt ending of a big milestone.  I wanted to cry.  He couldn't have cared less.  What is wrong with my children??

Ethan happily returning his math book

Walking down eerily empty halls

After we got someone to look up his locker combination because he couldn't remember it, we cleaned out his locker and  left.

At the exit was a pile of 8th grade diplomas.  We picked one up and that was the end of his promotion ceremony.

Marcus turned in his text books at an empty high school parking lot.  He didn't even get to go inside the school.  It took about thirty seconds to hand over his stuff and we were done.  Sophomore year over.  He was a little disappointed in the lack of fanfare.  No one was there cheering or holding up signs.  It was quiet and empty.  I hate COVID.

We celebrated the end of the school year with a slip-and-slide party and root beer floats in the backyard.  Most of the kids who came were from our neighborhood with the exception of three boys.  The kids had a blast and the adults enjoyed the sunshine while talking about the crazy world we live in.  But mostly we celebrated the end of the longest fifteen weeks of remote learning.  It was hard.  It was ugly.  I never want to do it again.  I hate COVID.

I never took a picture of the boys on the last day.  It made me too sad.  We should've been celebrating them as they got off the bus but there was no bus.  I think my kids are fine with things because they are having fun with their friends and it just feels like summer but I know when we get through this pandemic and look back on it, my heart will feel heavy with sorrow for all the things we didn't get to do.  As I dug through the piles of school work and notebooks it was disturbing to see their journal entries stop so abruptly way back in March.  Landon's teacher sent him home an envelope with a birthday card and birthday pencil in it that she meant to give him when he was student of the week.  That never happened.  It probably sounds weird but seeing so many unfinished things reminded me of reading Lindsey's journal and going through all her mission stuff.  It felt like someone had died because normal life routine doesn't usually just stop and our world certainly did stop in March.  I am truly sad for the many things my kids missed out on.  Little things like sitting at lunch with their friends, learning from their teachers, playing lacrosse, attending church activities, talking to friends on the bus, waiting for me to pick them up, running to the bus stop in the morning, getting up for early morning seminary, speeding to church so we're not late, watching movies in a movie theater, eating in a restaurant, swimming in a pool, and waking up to an alarm clock because there is somewhere to go and something to do are just a few of the normal things that are now a distant memory.  It makes me so sad. So, so sad.

The School Year is Over!

Summer is here! We had our first day of summer jobs/routine yesterday and it ended with me being so grumpy I finally ate some ice cream just to cope and then put myself to bed.  Now it's 5:30am and I'm up enjoying the peace and solitude of a house full of sleeping boys while I get things done without interruption.  Being a morning person {and a very large pregnant woman that can't sleep comfortably} has its perks. 
The end of the school year was unusually calm this time around.  Typically I spend more time at the school during the last couple weeks than I do the rest of the year combined but this year was pretty mellow.  So mellow that I actually emailed teachers and asked friends if I had missed anything.  Surprisingly, I didn't. I guess the teachers decided they didn't need to invite parents to every little end of the year activity so other than a couple concerts and Ethan's promotion ceremony there's not much to report.

Ethan is now officially in middle school.  Hooray!  Boo!  I'm excited for this next big step in his life and dreading it all at the same time.  He's thrilled though so I guess that's what counts.  Every kid in the 5th grade was nominated for some type of award which they received at the promotion ceremony and Ethan was voted Most Enthusiastic.  I interpret this to mean he's the happiest kid around because he really is.  He literally skips out the door.  I think he's too old to skip but I'm not going to tell him that.  When's the last time you saw a kid skipping?  Seriously, it takes a happy person to want to skip down the street, skip into the grocery store, or skip into church.  No one does that except Bean and it's pretty endearing. 

Ethan is not happy to be one of the only kids who doesn't have a phone.  I'm mad at all his friend's moms who decided their 5th graders needed phones.  

Marcus finished off his 7th grade year without any serious injuries which is miraculous.  He received the Student Athlete of the Year award and gets his name put on a plaque in the school's trophy case.  I don't know what the criteria was for that but we are impressed.  He also broke the previous record in hurdles so that's being updated on the school website or something.  He was voted "Most Inspirational" for the second year in a row at his choir banquet which probably has little to do with his piano/singing ability but whatever.  The kids voted and he got it.  After the banquet I couldn't find Marcus anywhere until I searched the choir room and there he was, sitting at the piano, surrounded by a bunch of girls hanging on his every note.  I rolled my eyes but of course I had to take a picture.  I weep for the future. 

Landon is done with first grade and was having such a good time his teacher had to email me to let me know his behavior had gotten out of hand. That's a first for any of my kids and boy did I let him have it!  He cleaned out his desk and brought home loads of paperwork, mostly stories about Minecraft and sports that he wrote about in his spare time. 

Parker finished up his first year of preschool and now knows how to hold a pencil, color, and count {all things he should've been able to do but I'm the worst mother ever and let his teacher do the educating}.  But it makes it easy for his teacher to spot which child is most improved and that's my Parker!

 

Our traditional last-day-of-school rainbow pancakes for breakfast.

These boys built a fort and I even let them sleep in it because "No more school!"

Enjoying our traditional cookie dough ice cream sandwiches for a special last-day-of-school snack.  Yummy!

Playing in the backyard and doing obstacle courses late into the night because "No school tomorrow!"

Ethan getting off the bus for the last time.  {I always teach/make my boys thank the driver for the ride every day.  First, because they should and second, because it butters up the driver so he's more likely to wait for them when they sprint to the bus stop late.  According to my boys, they are the only ones on the bus who think to thank.}

Randy got off work early {Hooray for time with dad!} so we took the boys swimming at the YMCA.  These have to be the nerdiest swim goggles known to man and Parker is quite proud of them.

We finished the end of year celebrations with dinner at Red Robin.  Marcus ate his burger in about 3 seconds.  I'm glad someone in this family can finally eat more than me!

And this random picture of Randy wearing a jacket and bundled up in blankets sums up how this pregnancy has progressed.  I'm hot all the time and my feet are even swollen.  Everyone else has to bundle up while I cool off by opening all the windows if it's cool outside or cranking the AC.  Pregnancy is hard on everyone!  Three weeks left and counting...

School's Out!

Summer is in full swing around these parts and getting to this point was no small task.  The last two weeks of school have been filled with all the end of the year activities so we're all thrilled to relax and enjoy our summer break.

Landon's last play date with these boys.  They've been coming over to our house every Tuesday morning to play before school for most of the year.  Landon has loved it!

Landon's kindergarten field day

I was assigned to bring popsicles but we really needed hot chocolate

Kindergarten graduation - Landon is in the font middle

Landon LOVED his teacher and couldn't wait for school each day

Marcus had his last choir concert and they actually sounded good for a bunch of boys whose voices are changing

Last day of 6th grade

Ethan's last cub scout activity - The Rain Gutter Regatta

Last day of 4th grade - Good bye and good riddance to a tough year with a tough teacher. 

Waiting for the bus on the last day

Here it comes!

Hooray for Ethan!  Hooray for summer!

Summer movie night at our friends house meant a delicious nacho bar with homemade cheese sauce, homemade guacamole and salsa and the great movie Nacho Libre

 And this is me the following morning at the end of my Seattle Rock n' Roll Half Marathon.  Luckily the yummy nachos I ate the night before didn't slow me down at all.  {Sometimes it's nice not having a colon.}  I haven't done a half marathon in 6 years and this one was huge!  40,000 runners kind of huge.  It was my first race of this size where we started in waves and I was placed in the 8th corral out of 30 which means I was pretty fast-ish.  I finished in 1:53 minutes, exactly the same time I finished the DC half marathon back in 2007 when I was much younger, so that felt good.  I had hoped to run a little faster but the Seattle course isn't an easy one.  There are some serious uphills and a couple tunnels to run through which mess up your GPS so pacing is tough.  There were bands performing along the course, cheerleaders from various high schools, a mariachi band singing on an overpass, and taiko drummers under a bridge were just a few of the highlights.  I ran past the Space Needle, along Lake Washington, and saw a boat crew out rowing in the water so it was the whole Seattle experience rolled into one. 

That is a huge line of runners waiting for the port-a-potties.  These lines weaved in, out and around other lines for other groups of toilets.  It was insane!  I gave up waiting and headed to the start for fear I'd miss the race.  They ended up starting the race 15 minute late to give more people time to get there.

Me at the finish line with my sweet medal

And now we are gearing up for Randy's family reunion at Lake Tahoe.  Summer is in full swing around here! 

The End of School in Rhode Island

Hooray!  School is finally out!  I have to say I am quite proud of us for enduring all the way until June 24th, especially because we endured it well.  Typically the boys completely melt down during the last several weeks of school, acting as though they've never had to get out the door ready and on time.  But this year we stayed strong until the end and it was a good feeling. 
Speaking of feelings, the last day of school brought on a whole wave of emotions ranging from sad to ecstatic.  Ethan was thrilled to be done, said a hilarious goodbye to his friends and is looking forward to starting a new year in a new home with new friends.  Marcus was sad to say goodbye to everyone for the last time.  He was trying very unsuccessfully to hold back the tears as he walked away from his school for the last time.  I'm so proud of him for adjusting to yet another new school {middle school even!}.  Although he knew some kids from his previous two years here, he pretty much had to start over because he didn't know anyone in his class or his lunch period.  It was hard and sometimes he cried at night over it but now he has a bunch of friends.  He told me he hugged his two best buds, Abner and Nick, and all three of them cried. 
It breaks my heart and makes me so excited to move back to WA knowing this is potentially the last time I have to move my kids now that we're done with the military life.  I am not cut out for it and stand in awe of all the military families who continue to relocate their families time and time again.  We've already started the process of goodbyes where we squeeze in as many people and as much fun as possible knowing each item we check off our list brings us closer to the day we leave for good.  I hate it. 
But at the same time I wouldn't change any of it.  I love all the people we've met, all the friends who have changed our lives.  I love that my kids are adventurous, confident, and adaptable.  I love the places we've gotten to see and the new things we've experienced and explored.  I'm pretty sure a panic attack is going to set in when we get to WA and I realize it is the final stop.  The grand finale.  The place where we set down permanent roots.  It's going to be a BIG adjustment but hopefully a good one.

Our traditional last day of school pancakes

Bean poking fun of Marcus for being sad on the last day

So proud of this boy!

This boy is done with preschool and counting down the days until kindergarten. 

Landon's preschool graduation

Ethan's end of year picnic

Showing Parker the playground

Goodbye Peacedale Elementary

Our traditional end of school party

Water balloon volleyball - throwback to my youth

We haven't wasted a second.  After celebrating the end of school we cleaned the house to welcome my bestie/BYU roommate Cheryl and her family.  We've started the summer off right with several beach trips and a few sunburned shoulders.  Summer has begun!